The Notebook(s)

Writing in my journal has always been an important part of my life. I carry various notebooks with me everywhere I go and write down the thoughts and feelings I have. Sometimes I am able to go weeks without something needing to get out, and other times I can't seem to write my thoughts down fast enough-- hence my blog.

Typing my thoughts out is much faster than taking pen to paper.

However, I literally have hundreds of notebooks and journals floating around that contain my thoughts, struggles, trials, Quotes and words of encouragement that I hear from others. When I am really struggling, my notebooks are ever present and I record everything that pricks my heart and helps me feel like I can move forward.

Recording the stories of my family is important to me and I hope that my children and grandchildren will thank me one day for taking the time to capture them. I know how I feel when I am able to read the private thoughts of my Grandparents-- It makes me feel connected to them and I understand myself more when I am able to read their words.

My Father took the time one year to transcribe my Grandmothers journal and then had it bound for all of us as a Christmas gift. I promptly sat down and devoured every single word. She had a hard life and yet she never lost her faith, in fact she lived by it. She never said an unkind word about anyone-- a trait that my Father inherited.

My Dad did the same thing with my Grandfathers journal and when I saw my Grandpa's handwriting, tears sprang to my eyes. He had beautiful handwriting, which I think was rather common place in the 30's and 40's. His journal was full of poems-- some silly, others serious-- and it just fit that his journal be filled with these things. I remember him always telling us poems and stories and how much I loved hearing them. He was a jokester and had such a healthy sense of humor.

Reading my Grandparents journals did for me what the man in the video said it did for him-- it helped me understand myself better. I am stubborn, so is my Grandmother. I love to laugh, joke and tease, and so did my Grandfather. Understanding who my ancestors were is helping me to understand better who I am. And, who I have the potential to become.

I love hearing the stories of "the olden days" -- stories that my Grandparents would tell, and also the ones that my parents would tell. Some of my fondest memories involve me and my Dad sitting around our kitchen table and him telling me stories about what it was like to grow up in Randolph, Utah.

The coldest place on the face of the planet. And a place that time forgot.

Recently Family Search asked me to help them write on their blog about the 1940's and as I have been researching it, reading about it and frankly learning about my own personal heritage, I have felt my heart being pricked yet again.

 I know that I want to do it -- gather my family's stories -- and the Spirit is speaking to me, but keeping that fire ignited all the time is hard. The fire comes and goes in wanting to collect the dates, but the gathering of stories is something that has always been very important to me.

Truthfully, the stories are what we fall in love with-- not obscure dates-- and the stories are what helps us power through the difficult trials that we may encounter in life. At least that's been my experience while working on this project.

Family Search is looking for Blog Ambassadors to help rally the troops and get people excited about not only the 1940's but helping execute the largest community service project ever recorded -- Indexing the 1940 Census. Anyone, from any religion, can help be an ambassador (and win swanky cool prizes) and anyone can help index the 1940's Census.

Heck. They've made it so easy to participate-- you can even index from your phone, iPod, iPad or iTouch now-- because there's an App for that! 

Guys, this is a good thing to be involved in. Think about the people in your past that you love, and the support, comfort and help they have given you. Digitizing these records will make it possible for other relatives to connect with them and feel these feelings as well.

At the very least, the documents that are being digitized could be what your posterity needs in order to feel like they can "carry on in this little trial".

Click here to participate in the Blog Ambassador Program and click here to help in the 1940 Community Project.